The former Central Michigan defensive end put an exclamation point his rookie year by tallying five tackles and one sack in Super Bowl XLV, even outplaying Pittsburgh's star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger according to the Canton Repository.

For Zombo, the road to Super Bowl XLV started with believing in himself and overcoming the initial set back of being undrafted.

Other sports figures who succeeded despite setbacks

The will to succeed in spite of set backs has been accomplished by plenty of sports figures before Zombo.

Larry Bird was a garbage man in French Lick (Ind.) before becoming an All-American at Indiana State and a champion with the Boston Celtics.

Here are a few iconic people in sports who, just like Zombo, never gave up in the face of adversity. They are sports figures who challenged F.Scott Fitzgerald's famous quote: "There are no second acts in American lives."

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No. 1 Bill BelichickBefore the Super Bowl rings, the hoodies, and becoming the most talked about spy since James Bond, New England Patriot's head coach Bill Belichick was captain of the S.S Cleveland Browns from 1991-95. It was a rocky voyage for the newly minted head coach, as Belichick would amass a 37-45 record in five seasons, before finally running aground in 1995 with a 5-11 finish. Fired by Art Modell in 1996, Belichick rebounded nicely in New England (2000-present), including four Super Bowl appearances.

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No. 2 James Harrison Sometimes they come back. James Harrison was cut three times by the Pittsburgh Steelers before he made the team. The Steelers first cut Harrison in 2002, and kept cutting him -- the Ravens also cut him in 2004 -- until he was on the verge of giving up football. The Steelers invited him back for one more camp in 2004 and Harrison finally stuck. The former walk-on at Kent State is now one of the most feared sack artists in the league, and is best
known for giving players their "Joe Theisman moment" after he hits them.

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No. 3 Larry Bird Indiana coach Bobby Knight didn't kick Larry Bird off his 1974 Hoosier squad, but the result was the same. 24 days into his arrival at Bloomington, Bird was gone. Citing feelings of being "overwhelmed" at IU, Bird would return to his hometown of French Lick to be a garbage man. If Bird had remained a dumpster diver, Indiana State versus Michigan State, the Celtics' three championships, and Magic vs. Bird would not have happened. Instead, Bird persevered and became one of the greatest NBA players of all time. According to ESPN, Bird now ranks as the No. 30 athlete of the 20th century.

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No. 4 Tom Brady One could argue that every time you get passed over by a team in the NFL Draft it's almost like being cut by that team. If you accept that premise, than former Michigan Wolverine QB Tom Brady was cut 198 times until the Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Today Tom Brady is best known for taunting the Locks of Love charity with his luxurious hair, his super model wife, and, of course, his three Super Bowl rings with New England.

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No. 5 Mike Williams Mike Williams was supposed to be the life line that would bail out Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen after drafting über-bust Charles Rodgers two year earlier. Instead, Mike Williams was a shovel. The 10th pick overall in 2005 got slower, fatter, and lazier during his tenure with the Lions, digging an even deeper hole for Millen to climb out of. Millen would be fired in 2008. After he was traded, Williams was cut by the Raiders and Titans before landing with the Seahawks in 2010. The apparent switch from Tim Horton's donuts in Detroit, to Starbucks coffee in Seattle, did Williams a world of good because he played well enough to garner a 3-year contract in 2011.

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No. 6 Michael Vick Imagine the movie "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with the role of the tortured teenagers played by a bunch of cuddly dogs, and you are getting close to what life at the Michael Vick's estate has been portrayed as during his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons. Vick would serve two years in prison for animal cruelty, but found redemption through charity work on behalf of abused animals, and by becoming the starting QB for the Philadelphia Eagles.

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No. 7 Colt Brennan Dismissed for the University of Colorado for sexually assaulting a female student, it didn't seem likely that another program would pick up QB Colt Brennan. Brennan did his time at Saddleback Community College before walking-on at Hawaii. As the starting QB for the Warriors, Brennan set NCAA records for most touchdown passes in a season (58), highest completion rating over a season (70.4 percent), and the most 400 yard passing games. Brennan was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2008 and is currently a free agent.

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No. 8 Tony Hawk What if I told you there was a magical movie staring David Spade, Steve Gutenberg, and Tony Hawk, set to the musical stylins' of the Blow Monkeys. That movie does exist and it's called "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol". Despite being a hallmark of 80's cinema, a black cloud rests over Police Academy 4. According to Forbes magazine, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk was fired from the movie because he was too tall and could not hide his face while doing stunt work for the film. Hawk would bounce back over the next two decades with nine gold medals at the X-Games, a huge video game franchise, and numerous movie appearances. Meanwhile, The world still waits for Steve Gutenberg to make his comeback. Can you say "Police Academy 8?" Cross your fingers.